New Taps Were Faulty

[big78sam]

So I made the move into AG BIAB recently. As posted separately, I lost my first batch of AG to an infection (my first ever after many extracts and K&K). I had decided to change taps before my first AG and thought I'd do a quick K&K in the fermenter after sanitizing like a madman to check all was OK before fermenting my second AG. I lost the K&K as well but realised that this was because the tap was dodgy so changed over to another one and chucked my second ever Ag from the cube into the fermenter with another new tap.

I realised after a few days that this tap was also dodgy and I've just had to tip my second ever AG because of an infection.
I'm pretty sure the taps that were the problem. I turned them so they were facing up and they were filling up with wort/beer. Nothing was coming from the thread where the tap joined the fermenter. It must have been a dodgy batch from G&G. I explained the situation and got them to sample the beer. They agreed it was an infection but couldn't say exactly what it was. They did give me a free tap (around $80 of grain and hops wasted though so a free tap was the least they could do) which I have tested by adding to the same fermenter for 2 days filled with water and not a drop came from it. Has anyone else bought a tap from them recently and had a similar problem? If anyone has thinks it could be something else I'm open to suggestions.

I'm going away for a week now so can't put down another batch till I come back. I have 3 waiting in cubes ready to go but really need to buy a fridgemate so I can 'set and forget'.

It will be another quick K&K when I get home with the new (non leaking) taps to check the fermenters aren't the problem then off I go. In the meantime I'm forced to buy beer!

Lesson learned - when I next change taps fill them with water and test they don't leak!

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I've never bought a tap from G&G - they're cheaper at the big hammer shed place, but I've had a few leak.

It seems to me that if the tap is leaking, there is a movement of fluid from inside the fermenter to outside the fermenter. Unless the infection is swimming sperm-like against the flow of the leak, I can't see how it would affect the beer - unless...

When I've had a tap leak then stop (as they sometimes do), I will - when it comes time to package the beer - spray the tap nozzle with sanitiser and poke around like crazy with a toothbrush to get it as clean as I can (without removing the tap, etc...). If I had failed to do so and there was some infectious bug pre-existing in the tap nozzle (or had jumped up into it ) that fed on my wort leakage and then made it into the packaged beer, I can understand.

I'm sorry for your loss, but I can't help but think the problem is not the tap.

 

[glaab]

I've had taps leak too but never had an infection. Maybe it's not the problem.

 

[manticle]

I've had taps leak too but never had an infection. Maybe it's not the problem.

Likewise. I recently lost a couple of litres of strong milk stout to this but the brew (still fermenting) seems fine.

 

[woodmac66]

Ditto, I have had leaking taps but no infectiions.
I spray everything with sanitiser also while transfering to kegs...
How good is Starsan!!!!

 

[big78sam]

I've just done a clean up and noted that after there is mould on the inside of my fermenting fridge. Looks like it came from me not properly cleaning the wort that came from the first leaky tap. If the fridge was a hot house for bugs it could explain why a leaking tap was a bigger problem than normal. If the wort was in a completely closed environment I wouldn't have thought that the mould would have been a problem. However if an infection caused by the mould got into the wort sitting in the upturned tap it might have been able to work itself back into the main wort through the leak??? I did spray some no rinse sanitiser into the upturned tap but I didn't respray over the 2 weeks it was in the fridge

I'm guessing a bit here but it seems the most likely.

 

[SpillsMostOfIt]

I've just done a clean up and noted that after there is mould on the inside of my fermenting fridge. Looks like it came from me not properly cleaning the wort that came from the first leaky tap. If the fridge was a hot house for bugs it could explain why a leaking tap was a bigger problem than normal. If the wort was in a completely closed environment I wouldn't have thought that the mould would have been a problem. However if an infection caused by the mould got into the wort sitting in the upturned tap it might have been able to work itself back into the main wort through the leak??? I did spray some no rinse sanitiser into the upturned tap but I didn't respray over the 2 weeks it was in the fridge

I'm guessing a bit here but it seems the most likely.

Is your beer being infected by atlantic salmon? The sorts of things you cleaned out of your fermenting fridge do not behave in the same way.

 

[leiothrix]

My fermenting fridge is full of mold (well, a light coating on the doors and all over the freezer compartment).

I've had taps leak, as in a drip here or there which leave a small puddle on the bottom of the fridge. That puddle of yummy sugary fresh wort is a nice breeding ground for bugs too I'm sure.

I open the door often enough, and open the fermenter lid often enough too to have a look/smell.

I've only ever had one infection, and that was fairly early on in my brewing. When the guy at the LHBS sells you some grain and says just steep it and throw it in, you're headed for trouble I think.

But as always, YMMV.
Rob.